The present invention relates to a dialysis machine and a method of checking the functionality of a dialysis machine.
As is known, in cases of renal insufficiency the patient""s blood contains particles of low molecular weight which have to be eliminated by a dialysis treatment carried out by means of a dialysis machine.
In particular, the blood is treated by means of a dialysis filter consisting of a blood chamber and a dialyzing chamber separated by a semi-permeable membrane, through which chambers the blood to be treated and a dialyzing solution, respectively, pass during operation; during the dialysis treatment, the undesired particles in the blood migrate from the blood chamber to the dialyzing chamber through the semi-permeable membrane by both diffusion and convection.
All dialysis machines available on the market at present are provided with more or less sophisticated control devices whose purpose is to regulate the operation of the dialysis machines. In particular, the most sophisticated control devices are designed to implement safety procedures intended, on the one hand, to check that any modification of the dialysis treatment parameters is appropriate for the patient treated by dialysis and is compatible with the current state of the dialysis machine, and, on the other hand, to prevent the incorrect modification of the dialysis treatment parameters which may have harmful effects on the health of the patient treated by dialysis.
However, there are many other situations or conditions of operation of dialysis machines which may have harmful effects on the health of the patient treated by dialysis, and on which the control devices of dialysis machines currently on the market do not carry out any kind of check.
The object of the present invention is to provide a dialysis machine and a method of checking the functionality of a dialysis machine which enable the above problems to be overcome.
According to the present invention, a dialysis machine is provided, comprising main control means provided with memory means which store the parameters of the dialysis treatment carried out on a patient by means of the said dialysis machine; slave control means interacting with the said main control means to provide the control of the dialysis treatment carried out on the patient; and means of checking the functionality provided with memory means which store the dialysis treatment parameters, and interact with the said main control means to carry out the checking of the functionality of the said dialysis machine; the said means of checking the functionality comprising transmission means for sending to the said main control means the dialysis treatment parameters stored in the memory means of means of checking the functionality when predetermined conditions are detected; and in that the said main control means comprise comparison means for comparing with each other the dialysis treatment parameters stored in the memory means of the said means of checking the functionality and the dialysis treatment parameters stored in the memory means of the said main control means, and signal generator means for generating an alarm signal if the said dialysis treatment parameters do not coincide with each other.
The present invention also provides a method of checking the functionality of a dialysis machine comprising main control means provided with memory means which store the parameters of the dialysis treatment carried out on a patient by means of the said dialysis machine; and slave control means interacting with the said main control means for controlling the dialysis treatment carried out on the patient;
characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
providing means of checking the functionality, these means being provided with memory means;
storing the said dialysis treatment parameters in the said memory means of the said means of checking the functionality;
when predetermined conditions are detected, comparing the dialysis treatment parameters stored in the memory means of the said means of checking the functionality with the dialysis treatment parameters stored in the memory means of the said main control means; and
generating an alarm signal if the said parameters do not coincide with each other.